


Another chance (ENDGAME SPOILERS!)

by sserpente



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers Endgame Spoilers, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, loki lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 08:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18657139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sserpente/pseuds/sserpente
Summary: Five years after Loki’s death, your life in New Asgard is all but miserable. You miss him. You mourn him. And you would do anything in your power to get him back. So when Rocket and Bruce suddenly show up at Thor’s doorstep to recruit him for a mission to undo the damage Thanos has done, you take your chance and join them. You travel back in time only to come face to face with the man you love so dearly–back in 2012. Back when he was still alive. And when things go wrong and you suddenly find him snuffling the Tesseract, you selfishly throw all of your plans overboard. You cannot lose him. Not again. So you jump out the moment he opens up a portal, disappearing and taking you with him.You had only one last shot at bringing the man you love back. Now, you have one last shot at convincing him not to kill you. You have one last shot at saying your goodybe. You have one last shot at telling him you love him. Only what will happen once the Avengers have defeated Thanos and return the Infinity Stones where they belong? Will you stay trapped in the past, with a different Loki who does not know you yet? Will the man you were going to marry be lost forever? Or will there be another chance?





	Another chance (ENDGAME SPOILERS!)

**Author's Note:**

> I had to fix it. So I did. I hope you'll enjoy reading (and crying) as much as I enjoyed writing (and crying) this! ♥

You hated the sun. Hated how hopeful it looked when it crawled over the horizon and filled your surroundings with light and warmth. You longed to rip it out of the sky and drown it in the sparkling water to your feet.

Five years. Five years had passed since Loki’s death and your heart still felt like it had been crushed only yesterday. Not one night passed in which you did not wish for him to be back by your side, to wrap you in his strong arms and let you fall asleep against his chest, listening to his soothing heartbeat. Never again would you hear that calming sound. Never again would you hold his hand, kiss his lips and see that mischievous and playful smirk you had fallen in love with.

Your lips parted when the first tear drop escaped your eyes and united with the sea. You watched it draw circles on the surface. Over the last years, you had cried so much you were surprised there were any tears left in your body at all and yet here you were, getting lost in your undying grief and mourning once again.

Back when you had decided to come to New Asgard, as Thor had named the small village the remaining Asgardians settled down in, you had hoped it would help you feel closer to Loki. Your Loki. Your fiancé. Your almost-husband.

You had picked a wedding dress already. A green, strapless piece of silken fabric sparkling with one thousand golden gems—a ball gown fit for a princess. And a princess was what you would have become upon laying down your vows.

Sobbing quietly, you glanced down at your left hand, fondling the golden engagement ring with the green jewel and the tiny diamonds Loki had given to you.

Valkyrie had suggested you took it off. The ring held a promise Loki would never be able to fulfil now and it would be pointless, cruel to keep wearing a reminder of what you had lost, holding you back and keeping you from seeing a new future.

But there was no future without Loki. You had known the day you had stood on the edge of the pier, only a week after his death. The ring had felt heavy in your hand when you had attempted to toss it into the sea, angry at the man you loved for leaving you behind. You couldn’t do it. You couldn’t move on. You never would.

Thor was no help. He only ever made it worse and you avoided him as best as you could. The strong, brave and self-righteous man you had once known was gone. And ever since he had chopped off Thanos’ head, he had turned into a shadow of what he had once been, drinking too much ale and playing silly video games with Korg and Miek. Loki would have laughed at his appearance.

You lazily turned your head when heard the truck approach. While you expected it to be another delivery of goods for the village, you were all the more surprised to see the Hulk jumping off the load area, accompanied by a raccoon carrying a gun. A courtesy visit?

Frowning, you stood, following the two inside. It took you a moment to realise they were looking for Thor. Your heart sank to your boots once you were close enough to listen, leaning against the threshold of Thor’s door.

Quantum realm. Time travel. Infinity Stones. Thanos. One more chance. What you picked up made little to no sense at first. You had never understood all that science talk Tony Stark regularly turned your head with. But you didn’t need to. All that mattered was _one more chance_ —and that you would have a shot getting your Loki back.

“I want to come too.” The words came out of your mouth before you had a chance to stop them, let alone consider what you were getting yourself into.

“Who’s this?” The raccoon threw in, earning him a dismissive glance.

“(Y/N).” Hulk… or was it Bruce… greeted politely. You nodded.

Thor only glared at you. You hadn’t exactly been on good terms lately. Loki had laid down his life for him, sacrificed himself for his only brother and he repaid him by getting drunk, threatening nerds online and refusing to remember him at all. One month ago, you had thrown a glass bottle at him.

When Thor still didn’t respond, Rocket shrugged. “We can use all the help we can get, (Y/N) whoever-you-are.”

 _Good._ Because if Thor had already forgotten Loki, that was the least you could do. You owed it to him.

* * *

“Thor. Thank you for coming. What the hell happened to you?” It was Steve Rogers who greeted him first, pulling him in a friendly hug. You spotted Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff as well as Clint Barton in the room.

“Who’s your friend?”

Your smile was restrained. There was at least one thing Thor and you had in common. Your emotions were no longer in your control.

“I’m (Y/N). I am… was… Loki’s fiancé.”

The room went silent so fast you could have heard a needle drop. Rocket, the raccoon, had no idea what was going on, yet out of the people in the room, it was only Thor and Nebula who remained unsurprised.

“This is awkward. What’s happening?” Rocket said.

“Nothing except for she was the fiancé of a war criminal and murderer.” Clint shot back, eyeing you down angrily. You sighed. You had expected this reaction. The Asgardians had come to terms with you already. The Avengers would take a while longer. “Why are you here? If you expect we’re going to bring _him_ back of all people, you’re really wrong.”

“I know him. I met him. Loki didn’t attack your planet deliberately,” Nebula interrupted suddenly. “Thanos threatened to kill him if he didn’t comply. My father can be very convincing.”

 _Nebula._ You knew her, Loki had told you about meeting her and Gamora when he was with Thanos. You were the only one he had told about the horrors and tortures he had gone through after his alleged deadly fall from the Bifrost. He had told you he had survived and come back as a different man and in return, you had told him that you loved the man he was now, that you would love the man he would one day become and surely, that you would have loved the man he once was. You almost smiled fondly at the memory. Without expressing it in words, you knew Loki could not quite believe he had found you.

You didn’t nearly spend enough time together before he had to die. He didn’t nearly experience as much happiness as he deserved. Nebula’s words brought tears to your ears—a gesture the Avengers did not fail to notice.

Natasha was the first one to lose her ice-cold demeanour towards you.

“Clint, if we want to do this, we need all the help we can get.” She repeated what Rocket had pointed out already. “Whatever it takes.”

You nodded, swallowing thickly to scare away the tears. “So what’s the plan?”

* * *

_The past doesn’t change the future._ Was that what Bruce had said? Your hopes collapsed in on themselves like a house of cards and still, you refused to curl up and believe he was supposed to be gone. Five years was not a long time then. He was Loki. The Trickster. The God of Mischief. There had to be a way. Somehow.

Your suit was tight. Scott had attempted to explain to you just how the quantum realm worked and why you had to dress like a domina in order to travel through time but you had shut down after two sentences. As long as you made it back and… back… _alive_ and preferably, with Loki by your side, you would accept feeling like head cheese.

It was Natasha who had suggested you did _not_ team up with Thor. Instead, just so both Tony and Steve could keep an eye on you, you were to go with them. Back to 2012 when Loki had attacked New York. Back to when Loki and you hadn’t met yet. Chewing on your lower lip nervously, you took a deep breath in a desperate attempt to stay calm.

Regardless. This was your one shot—and if Thor thought the same, he did not show. You wondered whether the idea of bringing his only brother back even occurred to him. For years now, you had thought you _knew_ him—now, you were not so sure anymore.

Next thing you knew you flew. If you had to name the odd feeling cursing through your entire body, you would compare it to travelling by Bifrost—yet at the same time, it was completely different, like being sucked somewhere you did not belong. A different time.

And as fast as it had started, it was over again. It felt no different, like nothing had happened at all. You opened your eyes, not realising you had closed them in the first place only to come face to face with the streets of New York City—destroyed, full of debris and destruction. _Loki’s work._

Swallowing thickly, you breathed out audibly to calm your rapid heartbeat.

“You know what to do. Let’s split up.”

“And don’t forget we have only one shot at this.” Scott brushed against your shoulder when he walked past you, ripping you from your paralysis. Stark Tower was close, too close. Your heart was aching at the very thought of the man you loved being safe and sound in this reality, this _time_.

Did you have a plan? Yes. But not in 2012. If you were going to bring Loki back, you would have to distract them just long enough to steal one of their magic vials to travel through time on your own. Was it sneaky, selfish and would you risk the entire universe crumbling to pieces, with billions mourning the loss they had to endure because of Thanos? Yes. But so were you. You were not going to live without Loki any longer. You could do this.

So, arriving at Stark Tower, you sat down and waited, knowing that the man you loved was only a few floors above you.

“You alright there, kid?”

“Don’t call me kid, Stark. I am (Y/A) years old, for Heaven’s sake.” Truth be told, however, you did not care what the billionaire called you. All you wanted was to distract yourself from a panic attack—or an emotional attack—or whatever the hell you professionally described travelling to the past to meet your now dead fiancé when he did not even know you yet. You doubted somebody had already invented a term for that tragic phenomenon.

And then the elevator doors opened and out of the lift stepped much younger Avengers than those you had met only a while ago. Your lips parted when you saw him. Shackled and muzzled, Thor dragged him along through the vast lobby past security guards and employees. There was only a hint of defeat in Loki’s blue eyes—the rest was mischief, triumph and undying arrogance.

It was the tiniest of smiles forming on your lips, for no matter how many setbacks he received, he never lost his confidence, at least from the outside. Behind closed doors, it had been your shoulders he had, for the first time in decades, cried on.

Your heart was beating so fast it physically hurt and skipping beat after beat all the same. You wanted to jump, rip that muzzle off his mouth and kiss him, wrap your arms around his strong body and hold him, telling him that everything would be okay, that you would _fix_ this. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t, for you did not know what consequences such actions would hold and you couldn’t because Loki, in this very moment, had no idea who you even were. Your lower lip was shaking. _Fuck._ Perhaps it had been a bad idea to come after all.

Tony took action when Alexander Pierce stopped the whole lot of them to hand over the Tesseract all the while you turned around panicking, desperately trying to stop the hot tears worsening your sight from streaming down your cheeks. Suppressing a sob, you pressed yourself against the stone pillar.

“Stark… I can’t do this.” You choked out, glancing back to Loki.

“What? Of course you can.”

“No… No, I can’t, I thought I could but I _can’t_. He’s right _there_ , Stark. Loki is right there and I can do _nothing_ and it’s fucking ripping me apart from the inside.”

“Do it!” He whispered into his ear piece, turning his attention to you only reluctantly when Scott began wreaking havoc among the young Avengers. “Stay where you are, I’ll come pick you up, alright?” Surprisingly, Stark sounded a lot more understanding than you would have assumed—perhaps because by now, you were breathing heavily, sobbing relentlessly.

It was just then that Scott kicked the suitcase with the Tesseract in Tony’s direction, catching Loki’s attention. You immediately retreated even further, eyes darting back and forth between the suitcase and your fiancé right until Stark grabbed it and marched straight towards the elevator—that was until the Hulk burst through the door and knocked the billionaire off his feet.

Flinching, you stumbled back, hoping the green idiot would fail to notice you. Selfishly, you didn’t care about Tony. Instead, your eyes frantically searched the slippery floor for the Tesseract. You gasped when you found it, right at Loki’s feet who was looking at it promisingly.

You knew him well enough—and you were very well aware of what he was going to do next. You were not going to lose him _again_.

Next thing you knew you had already sprung into action and started at the man you loved, clinging on to him the moment he opened up a portal and disappeared. And you with him.

* * *

Stark had blown it but so had you. You were selfish, stupid and too impulsive for your own good. _And don’t forget we have only one shot at this_ , you recalled Scott’s words. And you had _wasted_ it, wasted it because you could not get your own, numbing emotions under control long enough to save Loki’s life. Because you wanted to be with him no matter the cost.

All air was knocked from your body when you collided with the hard ground, rolling over quickly to avoid any major injuries. You winced at the pain cursing through your limbs, yet it subsided rapidly when you realised what you had done.

Panting heavily, you turned over only to face a suspicious and mistrustful Loki glaring at you quizzically. The Tesseract had disappeared—most likely he kept it hidden inside one of his inter-dimensional pockets—you would never understand this kind of magic, after all.

It took you a moment to comprehend he was puzzled not just because a stranger had latched onto him during his sneaky escape but also because you were still crying. It only got worse when your eyes finally met, filling your belly with excited butterflies.

“Who are you?” He had gotten rid of the muzzle too. Abandoned, it lay on the ground, leaving only the shackles a problem. Well, you could help him with that. And yet, it felt like you had lost your voice entirely. Your lips parted in a desperate attempt to reply but what would you say? You couldn’t possibly tell him you were from the future… or could you? Would he believe you? You knew that _this_ Loki right in front of you was a different man, more vulnerable and weary and you knew that he would not hesitate to kill you. You had to be careful. You had to try and elicit those feelings he had for you in your time right here, right now. _Only one shot._ And you would do what Loki always did—draw an advantage out of the situation presented to you.

“I-I… I… I shouldn’t even be here.” You finally uttered breathlessly, pausing briefly to take in your surroundings. You were in a forest. Dark, with rich trees and evergreen grass to your feet. “W-where are we?”

“Asgard.”

Under different circumstances, you would have smiled. Loki had always wanted to take you to Asgard. Before it was destroyed, he had raved about the library and the secret pathways he had found. He had raved about the beauty of the golden realm—some of the few memories he was still fond of.

“Tell me why I should not just kill you now. Your fellow agents would never find you here, after all.” He was right, they wouldn’t. Trapped in a different time, you were lost to Stark and Scott pretty much forever unless you found a way back on your own. But that was not the point.

“I’m not… I don’t work for SHIELD. It’s… it’s a long story.”

Sobbing once more, you rubbed your eyes to stop the tears to no avail, realising only now you were still kneeling on the ground. By now, Loki was towering above you—just like the first time you had actually met. It hurt incredibly, knowing he was right there in front of you and yet so far away.

“You will have to convince me with the short version, I’m afraid.” He mocked. Only because you knew Loki better than you knew yourself did you overhear the almost gentle undertone in his smooth voice. Loki was many things but he had never been cruel. His threat was but empty as long as you, alas involuntarily, showed him how broken you were.

From somewhere, you took the energy to nod submissively and stand, daring your knees to support you. No broken bones, no sprains, no blood. That was at least something.

“L-let me help you with those.” You said, pointing at his shackles. Loki frowned, not moving when you took a step toward him without showing any fear and reached for the Asgardian metal cuffs. You had been taught how to open them by none other than the man in front of you himself. Loki’s frown deepened when they fell off his wrists and onto the ground.

They had distracted you from your tears for a bit—but now that you were standing this close to the man you loved, meeting his stunning blue eyes and that flawless profile, you were taken instantly by another heart-breaking wave of grief, mourning and affection. The most painful combination of them all.

Crying silently, you studied him, meeting his still confused gaze.

“Loki…” You couldn’t help it, your body would not obey you. Your hand, trembling slightly, came up to cup his cheek, your thumb caressing his skin. Loki did not jerk away but neither did he lean into your touch the way he did in the future. No. The way he _used_ to in the future. He froze when you leapt forward and buried your face in his chest, your arms wrapped tightly around his middle. For a few both painful and wonderfully soothing seconds, he let you hug him—then, effortlessly, he pushed you away firmly but meekly.

“Who are you?” He repeated, more intently this time.

Again, you hesitated. But if anyone could help you figure out a plan, it was Loki himself. Yes, you decided quickly. You would simply tell him. “I… I’m from the future. Now… now I know this sounds _crazy_ but it’s true, look. Stark, he gave us this device—“ You pointed at the little gadget on the back of your hand. “—and… and we used it to travel back in time. He… he did it, Loki. Thanos. He found all the stones and he snapped his fingers and…” Holding back your tears, you recalled, reluctantly, how Loki had faced the cruel Titan one last time. How his dead body had dropped to the floor, broken. Another sob interrupted you, making your words nearly incomprehensible. “We… whoever’s left… this is our only chance so we came back here, to different time periods, collecting the stones before he can to reverse it all.”

Loki must have known by now you had lost someone as well, that you were grieving and hurting. But not in the way he thought you did. Or maybe he did. Loki had always been so incredibly perceptive he had figured out you were in love with him before you had done so yourself.

For an agonising moment, he said nothing, pondering. Then, eventually:

“If I let you return with the Tesseract…” You shook your head before he could even finish, albeit almost dazed by his words, but then again… Loki knew Thanos only too well. Like hell he would try and find him again, hence this lonely Asgardian forest. “I am stuck here. Now that I got separated from the others.”

“Then why did you hold on to me in the first place?”

Your lower lip wouldn’t stop shaking, your eyes never stopping to spill tears like heavy rain drops to water the earth. “Be-because I’m selfish,” you choked out. Once again, the God of Mischief frowned. Slowly, it appeared to dawn on him.

“When will I meet you?” He asked quietly, all hostility now vanished from his voice entirely. But what scared you about his question wasn’t if you were going to do any harm by telling him—it was the fact he must have known by now that he would die and relinquished to learn how and when it would happen and instead first asked at what point in his life _he_ , out of all people, would find love and for once, be truly happy and feel cared for and secure.

You smiled despite your tears. “We meet on Earth. Five years from now.” Loki let your words sink in. Then, he nodded.

“There is a cabin not far from here where an old friend of mine resides. She will let me take shelter.” You nodded mutely. _Angrboda._ It had to be her. The sorceress was as stubborn as she was cunning which was why Odin had a long time ago banished her and young Loki, curious and mischievous, had then one day found and befriended her. The tricks he had been taught by this woman went beyond even Frigga’s capabilities. Loki had told you about her once.

He asked you several more questions about the future, about Thanos, the stones and what you knew about time travelling on your way to the cabin. His injuries had healed completely by now, you had watched them all disappear slowly. Your heart was beaming, your cheeks burning red. How could you convince yourself that this was not your Loki when he was as mischievous, charming and intelligent as yours? _This_ Loki… he was merely a little more restrained, a little more scornful and simply… _younger_. Your both sad and relieved smile faded away quickly when you remembered that _this_ Loki had no knowledge of his mother’s death. No knowledge of his own brother and father locking him up in the dungeons to rot in chains. No knowledge of how he was going to sacrifice his life for a man who now refused to even speak his name and acknowledge his fiancé.

Where were you, right now? No, that was the wrong question. _When._ When were you? If what Bruce Banner had said was true and changing the past would not directly affect the future, then what would happen in this reality, in this time? Now that Loki was here and far away from a cruel trial and verdict by the Allfather, how would his story continue? What if you… _stayed_ with him?

Loki had fallen in love with you once. Could he possibly fall in love with you again? Could you be happy in this time, hiding away on Asgard? What would happen once the Avengers had reversed the snap and returned the stones to their original time periods?

You winced in pain when you felt the headache coming, both from all the unanswered questions tumbling through your head as well as all your tears. Loki noticed every move you made. One look at you sufficed to tell what was wrong—and he didn’t even need to know you yet.

Finally, the bedraggled cabin came in sight. He opened the thick wooden door without knocking, startling a beautiful woman whose human age you would estimate to be around forty. Still, she was breath-taking, her long black hair framing her face and falling over her shoulders like black gold.

“Loki. You’re alive.” Angrboda simply whispered, her grey eyes widened in shock. “I heard the queen was mourning. You fell from the bridge.”

Loki lifted his chin. It was clear to both of them that this was not the time to explain. “I need a place to stay. Odin, or anyone else for that matter, must not find me.”

“You are always welcome in this house. As is your mortal companion. It is (Y/N), am I correct?”

Your lips parted. You did not care how tear-dimmed you must have looked. “How do you know how I am? We never met. I mean… Loki hasn’t…” Angrboda raised her black eyebrows, stopping you mid-sentence.

“Take the room upstairs. Oh and… you both look like you need some strengthening potion. I will have some brewed for you.”

Mutely, the God of Mischief nodded, heading straight for the stairs. You hurried to follow after him.

* * *

You would never get enough of watching him. And as long as he was alive, you could live with the fact you were a stranger to him. Loki had barely acknowledged you ever since your arrival in the cabin but mainly because he had gone back downstairs and talked to Angrboda for what had felt like hours. You had attempted to eavesdrop but given up quickly once you realised she had cast a spell on the room.

Now you sat there on the huge double bed and black bed sheets, drinking your strengthening potion the sorceress had poured into a cup of tea. It tasted horrible but you gulped it down anyway, feeling better with every sip. Loki had returned ten minutes ago.

Silently, he stood by the window with his back turned to you and stared outside, pondering. You knew he could look into your mind if you let him, only now, however, were you desperate to touch his forehead with your palm instead.

Your tears had dried for now. There were boiling just underneath the surface, ready to drown you in a sea of pain and loss once more. You would speak quickly before they came to overwhelm you again.

“Loki.”

Slowly, he turned his head. Your heart almost stopped when he looked you straight in the eye. During all the time you had spent with him, you had learned to read his emotions through his eyes. This Loki was no different. But was that really appreciation sparkling in those blue irises? Was it longing and affection?

“I… I don’t know what’s going to happen. If I can just… stay in the past without doing any harm but I just…” There they were, betraying you. Hot tears burning in your eyes and rolling down your cheeks. “When I joined the Avengers on this mission, all I wanted to do was find a way to bring you back. I wanted to save you. Loki… no matter what is going to happen to you in the future, please know that none of it will be your fault and I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I was too fucking selfish to take my chance and bring you back to me. I…” You paused, shaken by a heart-breaking sob. “I love you so much.”

Loki seemed frozen in place but you could tell he was touched by your words, even if he could not possibly understand what they all meant just yet. The moment you broke out in tears was the moment he sat down on the bed and pulled you into his arms. Awkwardly. Like he did not know how to deal with your affection for him. But right now, it was all you needed.

“Did I give you this ring?” He asked quietly, glancing down at your nervous fingers playing with your engagement ring. You snuffled, nodding.

“It held a promise,” you responded. Loki seemed to understand immediately. A few seconds passed.

“How will I… how will it happen? And when?” He inquired then.

You swallowed. “Thanos. Six years from now.”

“I see.” Loki took a deep breath. “You should get some rest. Tomorrow is another day and Angrboda might just find a way to send you back to your own time.”

 _Oh._ He did not want you to stay with him, then. Of course not. Why would he? This Loki didn’t love you. This Loki knew you had spoiled your chance to save his life and disappointed him just like everyone else.

* * *

He had left. When you opened your eyes the next morning after an almost sleepless and terrifying night full of bad dreams, fear and mourning, the other side of the bed was made and tidy. He was gone. You knew that your Loki would never leave you behind. But then again _this_ had never been your Loki, after all. It would be unfair to blame him. He deserved freedom. Happiness. If in this reality, timeline, whatever Stark and you had created, he would find it, you would let him. Even if he found it without you. You should be grateful. Thanks to the Avengers, you had been able to talk to him again. You had been able to tell him how much you loved him.

Fighting hard not to start the day by crying yet again, you threw back the covers and frowned.

Angrboda had not owned any carpets last night. Where did they come from? Frowning, you took in your new surroundings. The blinds were still closed, it would be too dark to make out where you were until your eyes had gotten used to the almost-blackness around you.

You gasped when you bumped into someone’s solid body, stumbling backwards but a few steps—and then biting back your tears of both joy and grief when you recognised Loki standing right before you.

“I thought you…” You shook your head quickly. “Where are we, all of… a… sudden?” He did not need to answer you. You blinked, finally getting used to the lack of brightness. This was your little house in New Asgard.

“What happened? Where is Angrboda? Did you… did you bring us here? But… New Asgard was _after_ …”

Loki smirked, letting you ponder for a few more moments.

“I am offended. Do you not recognise me, my sweet?”

“L-Loki? M-my Loki?”

“In the flesh…” Explanations did not matter, nor did letting him finish. Sobbing uncontrollably, you wrapped your arms around him and held him so tightly your muscles started to shake. It took him some effort to lean back a little to press his lips against yours—a gentle kiss which soon turned into a passionate, desperate battle of love.

Only when you were out of breath did you pull away reluctantly, still grasping his shoulders and looking into those blue eyes you could get lost in.

“You’re back… you’re alive… Loki… I’ve missed you so much…”

“I have missed you too, my sweet. I must admit, I do prefer Midgard over Hel.”

“But… but how? How can you be back? How can you be _here_?”

Loki smirked once more. “Come. Sit down.” Quickly, you obeyed, impatient for him to explain to you what in the nine realms had happened. You couldn’t stop touching him. Desperately, you reached for his hands, fondling them tenderly as he spoke.

“Angrboda explained it to me like this. I must admit, the Avengers have outdone themselves. When they took the various Infinity Stones from different moments in the past, they created separate timelines, one for each stone—and one in which I… or much rather… another version of me… could escape—with you.”

You nodded, eagerly. You loved the way he explained things. Loki’s voice was incredibly soothing. Even more so now that he told you the story of how he had cheated death yet again and come back to you.

“They succeeded. Thanos is gone.” He went on relieved. “But they had to return the stones to their respective timelines. Now… when they did that, each of the created timelines, including the one you had gotten trapped in, re-converged with the one you came from. The one in which I… died. And since the timeline was altered and I got away instead of being taken back to Asgard, I existed… twice.”

“But… you were dead.” You breathed.

“That I was. But I am also a god, my sweet. I continued to exist in Hel.” Only now did his words sink in. Loki did not go to Valhalla despite his heart-breaking sacrifice for Thor. He had been damned to spend his afterlife in Helheim. Quickly, you blinked your tears away.

“As there cannot exist two versions of one person at the same time—not in different time periods—when the timelines re-converged, so did I.”

“W-what does that mean?”

“My two timelines melted together. It means I lived two different lives. I have memories of meeting you that day… and I have memories of being sentenced by Odin. I died but I also… didn’t.”

“B-but… but how are you _here_? In New Asgard? I mean, you couldn’t have known where I was or… and how am _I_ here? How did I not remain stuck in 2012?”

“Thanks to Angrboda. She indeed found a way to send you back when the timelines re-converged.” He paused, letting you recall how she had known who you were. “I knew we were headed to Midgard before Thanos attacked our ship. I knew where Thor intended to settle down. All I had to do was find you. You never left this place.” He said, knowingly. Still crying, you leaned forward and pulled him into another kiss.

You had missed him. You had missed him so much it physically hurt. His touch, his presence, his scent, his mischievous smirk. Sighing, you enjoyed his hands rubbing your back soothingly. _Your Loki…_ you had your Loki back.

“I love you, my sweet (Y/N)…” He breathed into your mouth. It was one of those rare, cherished moments Loki voiced his feelings for you—he did not do so often. Not anymore. But he did when he was with you.

“I believe I gave you a promise.” He mumbled when he pulled away, caressing your cheek and smirking naughtily as he did. You grinned through your tears, realising with a start that you were going to be a bride. “And I want to marry you right now.” That you could be happy again. That everything was fine.

**Author's Note:**

> You remember Tom’s words? That everything’s fine? Honestly, I’m not sure how logical my time travel theory is but that’s something I’d love for to happen. I hope this “little” story helped a little. ♥
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, make sure to head over to my Tumblr (@sserpente) for more. ♥


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